This has been the busiest couple of days in NFL history. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, the Raiders have re-signed their Pro Bowl long snapper John Condo and watched their former starting left guard, Robert Gallery, agree to terms with the Seahawks.
Details have not been released as to the parameters of the Condo deal. I would guess it is a lengthy and lucrative deal for a long snapper, but would still not carry a huge figure in the scheme of things.
Condo has been the Raiders everyday long snapper since 2007. He made the Pro Bowl in 2009 after excelling in his long snapping duties to help Shane Lechler reach the Pro Bowl in each of their four seasons together. Sebastian Janikowski has also enjoyed the steady hand of Condo over that time.
Condo is a linebacker by trade, and a standout special teams player. His contributions to the Raiders are important and he would no doubt have been scooped up quickly as a free agent. The Raiders didn’t let that happen.
Gallery followed former Raider head coach and current Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable to Seattle to sign with the Seahawks as many had suspected he would. Cable is credited with reviving Gallery’s career in Oakland after he was seen as a washout at the tackle position.
The former second overall pick was tried out at both right and left tackle and the Raiders as well as their opponents soon discovered he wasn’t the “can’t miss” talent everyone thought he would be. His arms were too short to keep edge rushers from getting around him. The move to left guard turned out to be the perfect decision.
He excelled as the Raiders’ best offensive lineman the past few seasons, though he was injured much of the time, missing 14 games the past two seasons.
Gallery reportedly asked for $8 million a season to re-sign with the Raiders and the Raiders responded with an offer of $2.5 million. That is a pretty big disparity and one that no doubt insulted Gallery enough to convince him it was time to move on.
Since he made his announcement that he will be seeking greener pastures, the Raiders signed his backup, Daniel Loper, to nearly the same offer that they had given Gallery.
Gallery receives a three-year deal from the Seahawks. Financial details have not yet been released. I predict it will be somewhere around $6 million per season. We will keep you posted.
The Raiders also re-signed defensive end Jarvis Moss. Read about that here.
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